Community looses a great heart: Virginia Setzer died yesterday at the age of 92. She once operated the Spartan Theater in the days when it showed Roy Rogers and Gene Autry flicks, but that was before my time. I always knew her as the elderly but vital soul of the annual radio Heart Auction and the epitome of kindness who greeted me when I dropped into the Carolina Silk Shop. From time to time she had scoured around her shop for a piece of material or button that I needed, and hemmed some trousers, but charged nothing or far less than she should for her time. More than that in this hectic world she always had time for and seemed eager for gentle conversation. Small towns have a character, a quality defines their spirit. That character is the distillation of a few key citizens and Virginia was one of the few. For me a part of what has been at the heart and soul of Sparta and Alleghany County has died except where it lives forever in memory. Family members will be at Grandview Memorial Funeral home Wednesday beginning at 6p to console friends and accept their mutual consolation. Services are 10a Thursday at Sparta United Methodist Church.
NEW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Mountain Hearth Lodge, an elegantly rustic Bed and Breakfast Inn off Vestal road at Milepost 231.5 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, is open under new management. One of the area's oldest Bed and Breakfast Inns, the facility offers seclusion and Parkway beauty in a location that is so convenient to the Piedmont. Reservations are being accepted for rooms at the inn as well as standalone cabins. Check their website or call 336-372-8743 and tell innkeepers Bland Holland and Norman Gill you heard about them from the Alleghany Chamber of Commerce.
JOBS, JOBS, JOBS: Albany Industries will open an upholstered furniture operation in the old B.C. Vaughan plant in Galax, VA, creating an estimated 335 new jobs. This is the first plant established in Virginia by the New Albany, MS, based company. No date has been reported for when Albany will start hiring, but applications are available online. Why not fill one out and be first in line! Also Inmar of Winston-Salem has announced 120 new positions to be added between now and Christmas. It's a 90-minute commute, but these are not just entry-level jobs, but have career potential. Online applications are being accepted.
As long as jobs are scarce in Alleghany County I will pass along announcements of jobs availability in the area.
BUSINESS AFTER HOURS: Sparta Florist and Gifts is celebrating their new location with a Chamber Business After Hours Thursday, Oct. 20, 5-7p. Drop in after work, network with friends and be sure to register for the Willow Tree nativity figurines to be given to some lucky person. Light refreshment served. And old timers: You won't believe what they've done to the former Drugcare building. 336-372-8344
If you the Business After Hours at Shaw Fine Woodworking, pictures are posted on the Chamber Facebook page, along with a clip of the Shaw Brothers performing "Wayfaring Stranger".
Friday, Nov. 4, you’re invited to the Alleghany Chamber of Commerce’s annual Awards Banquet at the Olde Beau Golf Club. The social hour begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by a meal and program at 7:30. The Chamber Board of Directors is recognizing four individuals and groups: The Sparta Lions Club, River Rock Grill and Family Entertainment Center, George White and Sandy Rost. Tickets are $35 and available at the Chamber and will be available from Chamber Board members (as soon as I make the rounds to distribute them). The evening’s menu is salad, petite sirloin and honey-glazed salmon, asparagus with roasted red pepper, herb roasted red potatoes, bread, and pumpkin cheesecake for dessert. We always have a great time. If you wait too long, all the tickets may be gone. 336-372-5473
We have eliminated the big auction that used to follow the awards. We heard from businesses they didn't like being hit up every year for donations and frankly, I don't like to beg. However, one member has offered a nice piece of furniture and we certainly are open to freely given donations and would be glad to recognize the donor at the banquet. Questions? Call 336-372-5473 or 336-200-2468 (cell).
CHAMBER MEMBER MEETING: Please join with your fellow Chamber members at Blue Ridge Electric, Monday, Oct 24 at 5:30 p.m. for the first quarterly member meeting of the 2011-12 fiscal year. This is one way we as residents of Alleghany County make our county better. I am sure you have ideas of how the county businesses could be better served. Come present your ideas, share and let us work together to make Alleghany a wonderful work environment. Be a more involved member of the Chamber and watch us grow. I will see you at the quarterly meetings. 336-372-5473
~Vickie Scott
President, Board of Directors
HAPPENING EVERY WEEK: Find yourself navigating your way through the 7-acre Fodder Trot Trail Corn Maze. Test your cow milking skills see if you can out milk your competitor. Many other activities include hay rides and pumpkin picking. Enjoy this fall fun activity, but don't delay, the corn gets harvested October 31. Open 10a til 7p Saturdays in September. Don't forget your flashlight! Every Saturday night in October is Flashlight Night until 9 p.m. Sundays open from 2p until 6pm. Last ticket sells 1 hour prior to closing. For more information on group rates, birthday parties, etc. check out their website at www.otgs.net.
>> Crouse House Pickers: Local blue grass and old time musicians jam each Monday, 2 blocks north of the Courthouse at the Crouse House in Crouse Park, beginning at 6p. Come and play or just listen. No charge, but a donation is appreciated. 336-372-5473
GREAT ACTIVITIES TO DO ANYTIME
>> Alleghany Farmers' Market: Check the Alleghany Farmers Market Facebook page for information on upcoming vendors at the Thursday (3:30-5:30p) and Saturday (10a-2p) in front of the Farmers' Hardware Parking Lot.
>>Driving Loops: Brochures for three driving loops of the Alleghany countryside are available at the Alleghany Chamber of Commerce and Visitors' Center. Each loop is about a leisurely hour's drive and includes information on historic points along the way. The Chamber office is in the rock building with the green awning (58 South Main Street, Sparta). Our foyer is always open and a brochure is always available.
>> Alleghany Historical Museum is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Stop by to experience local history and to see the new displays, 7 North Main Street, Sparta.
Check for upcoming events: On our website are listings for our Calendar. Check them often and let us know if your activity is not listed.
Bob Bamberg
Executive Director
Alleghany Chamber of Commerce
PO Box 1237 Sparta, NC 28675
336-372-5473
Director@Sparta-NC.com
Sparta-NC.com
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